Spielberg student filmed Marc Rochat’s tough fight: the Swiss slalom climber is about to reach American cinemas

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The biography of Marc Rochat (30) resembles a drama chapter by chapter. Sporty and private. The son of former Swiss ski vice-president Jean Philippe Rochat was 16 years old when his mother became seriously ill with cancer. “Because my mother lost a lot of hair after her first chemotherapy, I gave her a millimeter cut. Even though it meant so much to her, she was laughing at the time. She accepted this illness as a new experience. And that’s why in times of sports crisis I always said to myself: if mom laughed and fought even in a life-threatening situation, then I will definitely not give up because of a few slalom failures.”

Mama Rochat won her battle against cancer. After that, her son Marc had to deal with much more than “a few failures”. Between December 9, 2017 and January 29, 2019, Rochat was eliminated from 16 of the 20 World Cup slaloms. Moreover, the now 30-year-old was repeatedly held back by injuries. But the slalom specialist never gave up.

Similarity to the Netflix hits

With his enormous recording qualities and his often unconventional approach, he aroused the interest of the two directors Basil Schneeberger and Nolan Büchi. Last winter they followed Rochat closely with their cameras. The result is a film whose style is strongly reminiscent of the Netflix hits from Formula 1 or the Tour de France.

Director Schneeberger, who grew up in the Bern and Valais region, attended Hollywood superstar Steven Spielberg’s film school in California. So he knows exactly what material is needed for a film that Americans will also like. “The story of a hard-working outsider like Rochat is more exciting for many consumers than the story of a serial winner.”

Schneeberger is therefore confident that the film ‘La Roche’ will cause a sensation at various film festivals in the US in the coming months. Especially because, in addition to dramatic and spectacular moments, this film also has a happy ending: in the final slalom in Andorra last March, Rochat achieved the first top 4 ranking of his World Cup career.

Source : Blick